Known paper processing systems consist of a main copier and/or printer unit to which numerous accessory devices are attached. The paper object processing devices of a paper processing system are for example an inserter, a folder, a collator, a stapler unit, an output hopper, a pamphlet maker, a cutter, a large capacity receiver, a binder or a puncher. The control and monitoring of each single device has to be guaranteed in order to ensure efficient usage and productive processing of paper objects with the system. It is therefore necessary that the system be monitored with respect to the capacity and/or the processing abilities of each accessory device.
A method for handling several jobs in an electronic printer is disclosed in EP-A-0 478 341. A printer, with at least two sheets of paper in the queue, comprises a controller which calculates the time necessary for terminating the processing of the first sheet of paper. A time delay for the following sheet of paper is calculated with respect to the necessary time of the previous sheet in the stapler, binder or folder unit. The control signals of the system are guided to corresponding circuits in the various accessory units, which are connected by a local bus system. Additionally, software with an algorithm is used which calculates the time delay between each of the jobs in order to achieve an optimum of productivity.
Published European patent application EP-A-0 571 194 discloses a printer with an attachable sorter unit. The sorter unit has a sensor which senses the flow of a printed sheet of paper. Additionally, the sorter unit possesses a controller which sends data about the state of the sorter unit to the central processing unit in the printer. The printing speed is adjusted in response to the data, or in case of a jam the producing of printed sheets is terminated.
Published European patent application EP-A2-0 627 671 discloses a universal interface for operatively connecting and feeding the sequential copy sheet output of various reproduction machines of widely varying ranges of sheet output level heights to various independent copy sheet processing units.
Published European patent application EP-A2-0 778 523 discloses a method of operation of an image processing apparatus having a controller and a plurality of resources arranged in an arbitrary configuration. Each of the resources provides an associated processor storing data related to operational capabilities of the associated resource. The controller is adapted to dynamically configure the image processing apparatus to operate in accordance with the operational capabilities of each of the processors by defining job requirements as a combination of images defining a set of sheets and specifying compilations of sheets.